Penndot Gives Update On Route 1 Project

by Alex Lloyd Gross

Dec 2, 2022

Penndot representatives met members of the media today to talk about the progress made on the ongoing construction projects on Route 1.  The meeting was on an access road near Street Road.

Joining Penndot to make the announcement were representatives from Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office, Mayor Joe DiGiralamo of Bensalem and State Rep KC Tomlinson and  different representatives from contractors and construction partners are associated with the project.  Bensalem encompasses section RC 1. The following was done and Penndot is on time for completion of the work on schedule.

Section RC1 also included replacement of U.S. 1 bridges over Street Road (Route 132), the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the Turnpike’s interchange ramps with wider structures to accommodate additional lanes on U.S. 1. The new bridges have improved vertical clearance for the increased height of today’s commercial vehicles. The Bristol Road bridge over U.S. 1 also was replaced with a longer span to provide room for widening U.S. 1 that is currently underway as part of the adjacent Section RC2 project.

Additionally, under Section RC 1 contract, the old guide rail median on U.S. 1 was replaced with a new concrete median/glare screen, a northbound lane was added at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Old Lincoln Highway, a new stormwater drainage system was installed, and sound walls were added along southbound U.S. 1 south of the Turnpike.

The project also included major improvements to the U.S. 1/Street Road (Route 132) Interchange. The original ramps to and from U.S. 1 north were replaced with new ramps at a signalized intersection on the south side of the interchange. The ramps from U.S. 1 South to eastbound and westbound Street Road (Route 132) and from westbound Street Road (Route 132) also were replaced at a new signalized intersection. And a new ramp to southbound U.S. 1 from eastbound Street Road (Route 132) also was constructed.

Ramps to and from U.S. 1 and the Turnpike interchange were reconstructed with improved turning geometry to meet current design standards. A second lane was added to the ramp from northbound U.S. 1 to the Turnpike and from southbound U.S. 1 to the Turnpike.

Section RC1 is the first of three construction contracts that comprise PennDOT’s U.S. 1 Improvement Project to widen U.S. 1 (Lincoln Highway), replace aging bridges, and complete a number of highway safety enhancements along a five-mile segment of U.S. 1 that extends from Old Lincoln Highway to just north of the Corn Crib Lane overpass in Bensalem and Middletown townships and Langhorne Manor and Langhorne boroughs.

Construction is currently underway on Section RC2 to the north, where U.S. 1 is being widened and new bridges are under construction over the Neshaminy Creek, over ramps and rail lines at the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange, and over Rockhill Drive at the Neshaminy Interchange.

A third project, Section RC3, will improve U.S. 1 from north of the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange to north of the Corn Crib Lane overpass in Middletown Township and Langhorne Manor and Langhorne boroughs. Section RC3 is currently progressing through the preliminary engineering stage and is anticipated to move into final design in early 2024.  The project is advancing toward construction beginning in late 2026.